The African Symposium

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1 An Evaluation Of Inter-Scholastic Sports Administration In Selected Secondary Schools In Ibadan Municipality Of Oyo State, Nigeria By Kayode Omotayo Omolawon And Steve Arogbonlo Abstract The study assessed the administration of inter-scholastic sports in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria to ascertain its adequacy. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study, while a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The study sample consisted of 1,500 respondents from selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality, Oyo State. Descriptive statistics was adopted to analyze demographic characteristics of respondents, while the hypotheses designed was tested with Chisquare (X2) analysis. The probability level was set at 0.05 alpha level. All the assessed administrative parameters were found to be significant and it was recommended that inter-scholastic sports programmes should be handled by professionals and government should provide adequate funding for organizing inter-scholastic sports programmes. Introduction Sports is very popular the world over. This is because many nations and societies have realized that it is the key to a healthy development of the citizens. Edegbai (2002) notes that sports dates back to the very origin of man. He further states that, the primitive man s physical education was informal and not organized as compared to what obtains today. Awosika (2003) describes sports as a symbol that has become a unifying factor in Nigeria and views it as an essential ingredient for nation building. He further states that sports cuts across all barriers ethnic, religion, or social and has served as a medium for the development of youths. He concluded that great nations of the world have used sports to develop their young ones, attaining a success that science, religions and politics have failed to achieve. Bucher and Krotee (2002), opine that sport contributes to character building, discipline, economy, ideology, patriotism, education, mental development, human communication, physical fitness, and health; while Onifade (2003) views sports as an institutionalized competitive activity that involved vigorous physical exertion or the use of relatively complex physical skills by individuals. Sports competitions, seminars, conferences, and meetings of Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 137

2 various types provide the opportunity for individuals from different countries to exchange ideas and knowledge which in turn would be of immense benefit in educating the citizens of their countries. Sports as a social institution teaches and reinforces societal beliefs, norms, and values thereby assisting in socializing athletes into major cultural and social behavior patterns in various societies (Onifade, 2001). Inter-scholastic sports is an important part of the education system or programmes of secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis, western Nigeria. With each passing year, the significance of inter school competitive sports has increased, not only to the schools but to the community as well. It is also observed that secondary school administrators are becoming increasingly concerned about how best to conduct their inter-scholastic sports programmes on a sound educational basis, in light of the ever increasing students and community s interest. Inter-scholastic sports is one of the most interesting part of school life. They are important in boosting the vitality and morale of the school, and have implications for the total community. Secondary school administrators conduct most of their school programmes with a thorough regard for educational principles and procedures. Inter-scholastic sports should be conducted in the same manner. It is possible to eliminate the ills and evils of the society through the influences of inter-scholastic sports when administrators are willing to reorganize these activities as a part of the physical education programme. It is however important for the administrators to have a thorough knowledge of the many facets of the inter-scholastic sports programme. According to Nwankwo (2003), inter-scholastic sports programme is designed for the skilled individuals in one school who compete with skilled individuals from other schools in selected physical education activities. She further stated that, inter-scholastic sports programme is meant for the highly skilled in sports, for it recognizes challenges and rewards. While Daughtrey and Woods (1999) assert that, inter-scholastic sports are contests between selected individuals or teams representing two or more schools organized and controlled by the school authorities. Inter-scholastic sports programmes need to be conducted in such a way that its values and expected results would continue to be appreciated by the participants. This can be made possible through good leadership capable and well informed physical education administrators who have good knowledge of sports administration. Statement of the Problem It is a common knowledge that in public secondary schools, students athletes, mostly of secondary schools within Ibadan municipality, do not feature prominently at the national interscholastic sports competitions, thus hampering the realization of the objectives and aims of inter-scholastic sports programme in the state. This may be due to some organizational and administrative problems which prevent the student athletes from performing credibly well in inter-scholastic sports competitions. Objective of the Study The objective of this study, is for it to serve as a guide for sports administrators and other sports policy makers when developing a meaningful and worthwhile inter-scholastic sports programme for secondary schools. The study has also brought out the inadequacies in the allocation of sports practices and scheduling before inter-scholastic sports competitions are held and it has equally identified some sports administrative parameters which bring about a Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 138

3 successful sports programming when conducting secondary school inter-scholastic sports programmes. Research Hypothesis In evaluating inter-scholastic sports administration in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality, it was hypothesized that qualified personnel, adequate sports programming and administrative styles of sports leaders will not significantly influence interscholastic sports programme in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria. Methodology The descriptive survey research design was used for data collection. The population for this study comprised all participating athletes, games masters and games mistresses who are respondents from the selected secondary schools within eleven (11) local government areas which makes up Ibadan municipality, Oyo State, Nigeria. The simple random sampling technique was adopted to draw 1,500 respondents comprising participating student athletes, game masters and mistresses, and sports organizers who participated in the 2007 All Ibadan Oyo-State Inter-Scholastic Sports Championship. The main instrument for this study was a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into two sections i.e. A and B. Section A covered the demographic characteristics of the respondents, while section B sought information on the parameters selected for the study. The questionnaire was content validated, while the test-retest method used to establish the reliability of the measuring instrument yielded a correlation coefficient of r = To ensure high questionnaire return rate, the copies of the questionnaires were given to the athletes through their games masters and game mistresses. After a week s interval, the researcher and four research assistants collected the completed questionnaires. The completed questionnaires were collated, coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics which included frequency counts, and percentages. These were used to analyze participants demographic data in Section A. Responses obtained from Section B of the questionnaire were analyzed using Chi-square (X2) method and this analysis was subsequently used to test the hypotheses designed for this study. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level. Findings and Discussion Hypothesis 1 Qualified personnel will not significantly influence inter-scholastic sports programmes in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria. Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 139

4 Table 1: Qualified Personnel Responses Frequency Percentages X2 value Table value df Remarks SA A D Significant SD Total 1, X2 = 23.33, Table value = 7.82, df = 3, P<0.05. Table 1 indicated that 419 (27.83%) and 417 (27.80%) respondents strongly agreed and agreed with the statement respectively, while 358 (23.87%) and 206 (20.40%) of them disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively. The table further revealed that the calculated chi-square value of was greater than the table value of 7.82 at 3df, P<0.05. Therefore, the hypothesis which stated that qualified personnel will not significantly influence inter-scholastic sports programmes in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria, is rejected. In support of this finding, Sogbesan (2002), is of the opinion that our sports institution is a public organization that requires in all its facets of administration well skilled and professionally competent personnel for its smooth running, while Atoyebi (2002) reports that parallel to the increased emphasis on competitive sports, is the premium placed on the need for qualified personnel as tools for excellence in sports participation. In respect of personnel policy, Awosika (2003) advises that experienced and capable persons who are knowledgeable in the field of physical education and sports should be involved in handling inter-scholastic sports programmes for this will enhance fair judgment and officiating of the programme activities. Hypothesis 2 Adequate sports programming will not significantly influence inter-scholastic sports programme in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria. Table 2: Adequate Sports Programming Responses Frequency Percentages X2 value Table df Remarks value SA A D Significant SD Total 1, X2 = 23.33, Table value = 7.82, df = 3, P<0.05. Table 2 reveals that 435 (25.73%) and 341 (22.73%) respondents strongly agreed and agreed respectively, this constitutes the highest number of the total number of respondents. On the other hand, 338 (22.54%) and 309 (20.60%) participants disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively with the stated hypothesis. The table equally revealed that the calculated Chi-square Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 140

5 value of was greater than the table value of 7.82 at 3df; P<0.05. Therefore, the hypothesis which stated that adequate sports programming will not significantly influence inter-scholastic sports programmes in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria, is rejected. Awosika (2003) defines sports programming as the process of outlining and implementing the order of activities to be pursued in a plan of work schedule that should not just be made, but they are prepared, based on the needs of the institution or organization if not, they will be of no relevance or use to the institution or organization. This statement supports the present findings. Hypothesis 3 Administrative styles of the games masters and games mistresses will not significantly influence inter-scholastic sports programmes in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria. Table 3: Administrative Styles of Sports Games Masters and Mistresses Responses Frequency Percentages X2 value Table df Remarks value SA A D Significant SD Total 1, X2 = 23.33, Table value = 7.82, df = 3, P<0.05. The findings showed that 373 (24.8%) and 404 (26.93%) of the respondents strongly agreed and agreed respectively, while on the contrary 438 (29.20%) and 285 (19.00%) of the participants disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively, that the administrative styles of the games masters and mistresses did not influence the inter-scholastic sport in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria. The computed Chi-square value of was greater than the table value of 7.82 at 3df; P<0.05. Consequently, hypothesis 3 which stated that, the administrative styles of the games masters and mistresses will not significantly influence inter-scholastic sports programme in selected secondary schools in Ibadan municipality of Oyo State, Nigeria, is rejected. In support of the above responses, three administrative styles have been identified by sports specialists. They include authoritarian, democratic, and laisser-faire (Bucher & Krotee, 2002; Nwankwo, 2003). These methods are referred to as traditional administrative styles, and they have been criticized by modern sports management specialists in the sense that one cannot be an absolute authoritarian, democratic, or laisser-faire, but a mixture of the various administrative styles depending on specific situations. Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 141

6 Conclusion From the findings of the study, the following conclusions can be made: (i) It was found that some secondary schools lacked qualified personnel to manage inter-scholastic sports competition effectively. (ii) Inter-scholastic sports in Ibadan municipality were inadequately programmed. (iii) The administrative styles of sports managers as well as the attitude of student athletes significantly influenced the success of inter-scholastic sports programme. Recommendations Based on the findings, the following are recommended: 1. The school administrators should improve the on educational qualifications of their sports personnel. Most of them were holders of National Certificate in Education (N.C.E.) and very few had university degrees. 2. Sports programming should be prepared well in advance, as this will increase adequate participation and expected results from the participants. 3. The school sports administrators should vary their administrative styles and improve on their inter-scholastic sports programmes in their schools by providing adequate incentives to motivate and promote the participation of student athletes in inter-scholastic sports. References Atoyebi, O.A. (2002). Relationship between facilities, personnel, funding of sports and athletes achievement. In O.A. Adesanya, A. Onifade, E.O. Morakinyo and J.O. Akindutire. (Eds.). Journal of Nigeria Academy of Sports Administration. 3 (1&2) Awosika, Y. (2003). Status of facilities and equipment in producing successful olympic athletes. In managing olympic success: The centennial olympic experience. Lagos: National Institute of Sports (NIS), 1, Bucher, C.A. & Krotee, M.L. (2002). Management of physical education and sport. (12th ed.). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Daughtrey, G. & Woods, J.B. (1999). Physical education and intramural programmes: Organisation and administration. (2nd Ed.) Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company. Edegbai, B. (2002). Effectiveness of fiscal management in the organization and administration of intramural sports programmes. In O.A. Adesanya, E.O. Morakinyo, and J.O. Akindutire (Eds.) Journal of Nigeria Academy of Sports Administration. 3 (1&2), Nwankwo, E.I. (2003). Organization and management of physical education for schools and colleges. Ibadan: Olaiya Fagbamigbe Publishers Limited. Onifade, A. (2001). Sports and society: Issues in human kinetics, health promotion and education. In C.O. Udoh. (Ed.) Ibadan: Chris-Rose Ventures Publishers. Onifade, A. (2003). Interdependence of sport and socialization. In T.A. Adedoja, B.S. Mshella, & A. Onifade. (Eds.). Psycho-social perspective of sports. Lagos: Vertex Publishing Limited. Sogbesan, K.D.S. (2002). Professional preparation of sports administrators. In V.C. Igbanugo (Ed.) Preparation for officials and athletes for high-level performance. Ibadan: Nigeria Association of Sports Science and Medicine (NASSM) Thomas, J.R. & Nelson, J.K. (2001). Research methods in physical activity. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 142

7 Dr. Kayode Omotayo Omolawon Department Of Human Kinetics And Health Education Faculty Of Education University Of Ibadan Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria And Dr. Steve Arogbonlo Department Of Physical And Health Education School Of Science Federal College Of Education Kano, Kano State, Nigeria Volume 8, No. 2, December 2008 Page 143